Running to Bake: Whole30 Week 3 - Trials & Tribulations

Follow my Whole30 adventure here: Week 1 & Week 2

Guys...I'm almost done my Whole30 Program! I won't lie...it's been a long haul. A lot of planning, prepping, shopping and dish washing. That being said, it's also been a lot of good food, healthy mind, healthy body and education.

Update: Week 3

This week was a big challenge for me. It's hard to say why exactly, but this week, more than ever, I was craving junk. And I don't just mean I wanted some chips. I mean, I was going through serious withdrawal. I was cranky, upset, moody and at one point felt sick about turning down some leftover Christmas chocolate. While this may sound funny, food is my drug. I use to to help make me feel better, relieve stress, celebrate and console me. I use food the way addicts use drugs. I can feel it physically when I have to turn down food that I really, really want. My stomach tenses and my lungs restrict. It takes ever single fiber of my being to turn away.

Here's the kicker - you can't just give up food. You need food to live. It's not like cigarettes where you can just stop (not, by any means, belittling quitting smoking. That is a horrible beast all on it's own). All I'm saying is, I cannot say "my food consumption has become out of control, I am going to detox and stop eating." It's just not that simple. This was the reason I started Whole30 - to kick my reliance on "bad" food and up my love for "good" food.

Needless to say, I was very frustrated this week when all the cravings I'd manage to stave off for 2 weeks, returned. I suppose it was inevitable. For the rest of my life I'm going to have to fight the "urge" to binge. Like my anxiety, this is something I will have to embrace and figure out how to deal with the cravings as they come. Even now, just writing about it, makes me feel on edge.

Anyway, I did "cheat" a little bit on Saturday - I bought a bag of chips that were, for all intents and purposes, Whole30 compliant. They were just potato slices, baked & salted. This wasn't the cheat. One of the big no-no's in the program is no snacking to fuel an emotional need and that is where I cheated. I was feeling down & depressed and bought these chips to console myself.

I'm not going to lie...it felt amazing biting into the first few chips. The crunch and the salt was a beautiful combination. Also, it did make me feel better. I hate to admit it, but it really did. The good news is, I only ate a handful, them put them away. So while I was frustrated with myself for breaking the "no emotional eating" rule, I did feel better knowing I could put the bag aside after only a few chips.

Here are some recipes that I LOVED from this week:

Naked Bruschetta Turkey Burgers (from SkinnyTaste)

I've made these MANY times before, but to make them Whole30 compliant I used almond flour instead of breadcrumbs and no mozzarella - AHMAZING
Served with sweet potato fries & side salad
For lunch the next day - ground up the cooked burgers and put remaining bruschetta topping in with spinach for an awesome salad

Paleo Butter Chicken (from My Heart Beets)

I love me some butter chicken & this was pretty damn close to restaurant quality
This was a great Sunday night meal - took a little extra time & care but was totally worth it

Lime & Coconut Cauliflower Rice (from meatified)

I needed something to go with my butter chicken & had heard SO many good things about cauliflower rice
SO easy to make & was quite delish - J really liked it too which was a surprise